Pelosi thanks President Bush for his role in bin Laden's demise

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) said she called former President George W. Bush on Tuesday to congratulate him on the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden.

Following a classified briefing on the operation to take down bin Laden, Pelosi told reporters that she called the former president earlier in the day to "congratulate him and thank him for the leadership role he had played in this quest over the years."

Pelosi was Speaker of the House for two years while Bush was in the White House.

Pelosi said she thought Bush appreciated the call.

“I wanted him to know the appreciation that many of us have in a bipartisan way ... that his role was important," she said.

The top-ranking House Democrat said that she also telephoned former President Clinton to voice appreciation.

Pelosi has been unstinting in her praise of President Obama for his leadership in getting bin Laden.

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